Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 476 Tuotuo: Prince Ruyang, you are so lucky to have a good son-in-law!

Blah blah blah...

The iron chains rattled as Tuotuo walked forward step by step. At a glance, he saw Prince Ruyang, who was riding a horse in fine clothes and entering the palace in high spirits.

King Ruyang also saw Tuotuo, who was now in a dishevel and looked pitiful. The two looked at each other, and there was actually a sense of awkwardness in the air. After a long time, the two walked together.

Eunuch Zhao frowned and said, "How can you be such a good official? Don't you know that prisoners have to go through Xichang Gate, and nobles have to go through Donghua Gate?"

After hearing Eunuch Zhao's scolding, the guard immediately nodded and bowed, and knelt down. Seeing the guard's appearance, Eunuch Zhao treated him coldly, without any friendly expression.

Seeing Eunuch Zhao like this, Tuotuo said, "Eunuch Zhao."

"It was my request that he go through Donghua Gate."

Eunuch Zhao smiled when he heard this and said, "Oh, so it was arranged by Master Tuotuo. I was wondering why he was so arrogant. But Master Tuotuo will be going to Yunnan soon to help the country. You don't need to worry about the affairs in the palace."

"You guys, wait until you get back to be punished!"

Eunuch Zhao immediately shouted at the guards who were guarding Tuotuo.

Several guards looked as if they had lost their parents, their faces were pale and miserable. Oh no, they had offended Eunuch Zhao this time and they would have to bear the consequences.

In fact, the reason they had to go through Donghua Gate was that these guards had a long history with Tuotuo. When Tuotuo was the prime minister, he tried his best to win over these guards. For example, the normal salary of these people was only three taels of silver a month, but after Tuotuo became the prime minister, he gave these guards a subsidy and raised their salary to ten taels of silver a month, which was already a very considerable amount of money.

These guards were grateful for Tuotuo's kindness, so they were prepared to give Tuotuo the final dignity, and that was why they let Tuotuo go through Donghua Gate.

I didn't expect to run into Prince Ruyang. This is really bad luck. I just wanted to use my power to repay a favor, but I didn't expect to run into Eunuch Zhao head-on.

Eunuch Zhao is, to a large extent, the emperor's will being transferred downwards. Now Tuotuo has been abandoned by the emperor. Since he has been abandoned, he cannot be given a good enough face. No matter whether it is for a warning or for better use in the future, he should be warned well and hard at this time.

So Eunuch Zhao was representing the emperor in warning Tuotuo. Only after warning him well and then putting him back into use could he become a good and obedient dog.

The emperor's goal is not to train a wise minister, he needs a good dog who is loyal to him and capable!

Tuotuo used to be a perfect fit for this theory. He was a loyal and capable dog, which was what the emperor needed.

Now the dog Tuotuo seems to want to show his teeth to the emperor, so the emperor has to suppress him a little. He must make him feel pain and fear, and when the right opportunity comes in the future and he can use him together, he will become a good dog that he can drive.

Tuotuo naturally understood this.

Therefore, Tuotuo did not retort to Eunuch Zhao's reprimand, but the Minister of Personnel Chao Lu was not happy. He shouted at Eunuch Zhao: "Eunuch Zhao, although we have lost our power, we still have some friendship. You are humiliating us like this. Don't you care about the friendship we had in the past?"

Eunuch Zhao sneered after hearing this, "What kind of friendship do I have with you? We were just playing for fun back then. Now you are in trouble, but you are still acting like a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel. It's really funny. You guys are blind. Why don't you send him to Xichang Gate?"

"Donghua Gate is also a place you guys can go through!"

Eunuch Zhao scolded. After hearing this, the guards immediately said, "Yes, yes, we know we are wrong. We will go to Xichang Gate now."

After saying this, several guards looked at Tuotuo and Chaolu with reproach.

Why are you still acting like high-ranking officials at this time? Now you’ve caused us to be scolded.

Tuotuo remained calm and composed, but Chaolu was angry. He didn't expect that even a small guard would dare to complain about them.

Most of us have spent so much money over the years and fattened up so many people. Isn't this the time to use them?

As a result, now, even a small guard dares to give me a hard time. He doesn’t treat me as a human being.

Chao Lu opened his mouth and was about to scold the two guards, but Tuotuo stopped him. After all, although Chao Lu had some eloquence, he lacked flexibility, especially when it came to observing people's words and expressions.

These guards clearly meant well to be insulted. If you insult them back at this time, it will definitely make them unhappy and they may even hold a grudge against you. This is absolutely not allowed.

So Tuotuo interrupted Chaolu directly.

"Chaolu!"

He shouted over, Chao Lu paused, and then he saw Tuotuo said, "Let's go from Xichang Gate!"

"Prime Minister, this..."

"go!"

Tuotuo spoke, and Chaolu could only follow reluctantly. But at this moment, King Ruyang said, "Tuotuo!"

Tuotuo stopped and turned around, then saw King Ruyang. Their eyes met and King Ruyang slowly walked over.

Tuotuo then put away the iron chain in his hand and said, "Haha, Your Majesty, in just one night, everything has changed. Your words have come true, and I have really become a prisoner."

"I wonder if your Majesty can relieve your hatred?"

Tuotuo looked at King Ruyang.

Prince Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and said, "If you do too much evil, you will eventually perish. Isn't this what Master Tuotuo wants?"

After hearing this, Tuotuo looked at King Ruyang and said, "I ask to be shackled and exiled to the frontier?"

King Ruyang looked at him and said, "Tuotuo, do you know where you went wrong?"

"What else could be wrong? The reduction of the feudal lords affected the interests of the kings, and this is just the backlash."

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and said, "It seems that you still don't understand. Your fault is not in reducing the power of the vassal states, but in your selfishness!"

"Hmm? Would you like to hear more details?"

Prince Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and said, "If you really want to reduce the power of the vassal states for the sake of Daqian, we won't say anything else, but your motives for reducing the power of the vassal states are not pure. You are reducing the power of the vassal states for selfish reasons and for the desire for power."

"Your Majesty can tell the difference between public-spirited and private-spirited people, the people of the world, and the cultural relics in the court. If I were public-spirited, I, the Prince of Ruyang, would not only not cry out for injustice when my fiefdom was reduced, but I would even be willing to serve as your vanguard."

"But your selfishness outweighs your public spirit, and your lust for power is overwhelming. You, as the prime minister of an empire, want to shake the feudal system of Daqian that has existed for a hundred years? You are dreaming, so you lose because your heart is not right!"

King Ruyang pointed at Tuotuo's heart and said.

After hearing this, Tuotuo laughed and said, "How pedantic! How pedantic!"

"Your Majesty, your so-called public-spirited and private-spirited thoughts are nothing more than your deduction after victory. Do you know what my deduction is?"

King Ruyang looked at him and asked, "What?"

Tuotuo said: "I was too ambitious. I always wanted to do two things at the same time to stabilize the world in one fell swoop. If I hadn't insisted on executing the Little Ming King and reducing the feudal lords at the same time, if I had done them one by one, the results might have been different."

"And, Your Majesty, the reason you won is not because you are so powerful, but because the Zoroastrians attacked the palace and disrupted my plan. Then there is your adopted son Wang Baobao, and..."

Tuotuo said this, looked at King Ruyang and said: "Chen Jiusi and your princess..."

Prince Ruyang's face changed and he said, "Don't talk nonsense. My Yaya was kidnapped by bandits."

Tuotuo said: "Haha, you know the situation in your heart. In fact, I might as well tell you that the plan of the Zoroastrian Yu Nian to attack the palace was probably arranged by Chen Jiusi. Even my current fate was deliberately designed by Chen Jiusi!"

"I have to say that the prince's son-in-law is really worried about you, his old father-in-law."

Prince Ruyang approached Tuotuo and said, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, don't blame me for being rude to you. The road from the city to Yunnan is still very long."

After hearing this, Tuotuo looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "Your Highness, I tell you this because I want to tell you that I know all these things, and once something happens to me, the news will be spread immediately. If His Majesty knows about it, I wonder if Prince Sanzhu can still sit still!"

Prince Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and asked, "What on earth do you want to do?"

Tuotuo said: "Haha, it's nothing, I just want to get to Yunnan safely. As long as the prince doesn't attack me, I won't say anything nonsense, the prince can rest assured."

Upon hearing this, King Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and said, "Humph, do you think I am afraid of your threats?"

Tuotuo said: "You may not be afraid, but Chen Jiusi is afraid, and your daughter Xiangning County Princess is also afraid. As parents, we should plan for our children in the long run, right?"

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and laughed, "Haha, good, good, you are worthy of being the prime minister who can take charge of the government. You can really make things happen with just a flip of your hand. Your methods are so superb and terrifying."

After hearing this, Tuotuo looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. These are just some small tricks to save my life. After all, I have made too many enemies. If I don't have some tricks, I am afraid I won't even see the sun tomorrow after leaving the capital."

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang looked at Tuotuo and said, "Haha, these are just some little tricks."

Tuotuo said: "Your Majesty is right."

King Ruyang said: "Don't worry, I won't kill you secretly. After all, I don't want to beat a drowning dog."

Tuotuo held out his hand and said, "Your Majesty is indeed magnanimous. Tuotuo admires you."

After saying this, Prince Ruyang turned around and left. Tuotuo shouted from behind: "Prince, don't forget, this is a matter of great importance!"

Prince Ruyang didn't want to pay any attention to him, so he turned around and left, heading straight into the palace. At this time, Eunuch Zhao behind him said, "Your Highness, wait for me..."

Watching Prince Ruyang leave, Tuotuo breathed a sigh of relief. He just liked dealing with these honest people. Prince Ruyang was too upright and there was nothing to worry about!

Thinking of this, Tuotuo left Xichang Gate directly under the escort of the guards. During the whole process, Tuotuo did not feel unhappy at all, on the contrary, he was in a particularly good mood.

Prince Ruyang entered the palace with anger at this time. As soon as he entered the palace, he was reminded of some nostalgic memories. After all, he had also played in this palace when he was a child.

Looking at the plants and trees in the palace, he felt a lot. If there weren't many burnt areas in the palace, he might have felt even more. Eunuch Zhao looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "Your Highness, you are moved by the scene!"

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang looked around and said, "Alas, it has been decades since I left this place. I haven't been back since I was stationed in the vassal state!" Eunuch Zhao heard this and said, "Then Your Majesty can take this opportunity to experience this old scene."

King Ruyang said: "Thank you very much, Tuotuo."

As the two were talking, Eunuch Zhao made a gesture of invitation and said, "Your Majesty is waiting for the prince in the Yannian Palace!"

Prince Ruyang nodded, and followed Eunuch Zhao straight to the Yannian Palace. When they arrived at the door of the Yannian Palace, they heard the lively sounds of sheng, guan, di and xiao inside. When they got closer, they saw a singing and dancing performance. The dancers in the palace danced gracefully, like elves in the wind. It was very lively!

The hall was filled with singing and dancing by the civil and military officials. Looking at the martial arts in front of him, he felt very refreshed. On the high platform not far away, Old Hama was toasting to His Majesty.

At this time, Eunuch Zhao arrived at the door and said, "Your Majesty, the prince is here!"

After hearing this, the emperor, who was drinking, immediately became alert and immediately saw Prince Ruyang at the door.

He immediately stood up, opened his arms and said, "Brother Wang!"

Seeing this, Prince Ruyang immediately strode forward, and the palace maids had already stopped dancing. At this time, Prince Ruyang walked a few steps to the bottom of the stairs, knelt on one knee and said, "I have rarely seen your majesty!"

At this time, the emperor walked down the steps in small steps, and then came to the side of Prince Ruyang and said, "Brother Prince, please get up quickly. I have not seen you for many years. I really miss you!"

At this time, Prince Ruyang looked at the emperor and said, "I am terrified."

The emperor said, "Brother, please don't be like this. We haven't seen each other for many years. I really have a thousand or ten thousand things to say to each other. But today is my birthday, brother, please celebrate with me."

"Come on, let's drink."

The emperor took Prince Ruyang's hand and walked up to the emperor's steps.

He also invited the King of Ruyang to sit at the same table with him. The King of Ruyang said, "How dare I sit at the same table with Your Majesty?"

After hearing this, the emperor said, "Brother, didn't we sit together when we were young? Why are we so distant now? I know that I have wronged you this time. I hope you won't hate me for this."

"If that's true, I'm going to be burned up inside! I feel guilty and uneasy!"

After hearing this, King Ruyang said, "How dare I, how dare I."

"Then sit at the same table with me and drink together."

After saying this, the emperor pulled Prince Ruyang to sit at the table without further ado. At this time, the emperor said to Eunuch Zhao beside him, "Pour some wine for my brother."

After hearing this, King Ruyang said, "How dare I, how dare I."

Eunuch Zhao was no ordinary man. He was a eunuch in the Imperial Study, serving the emperor alone. At that time, in Daqian, there was a prime minister to check and balance the emperor in the court. Otherwise, in the Ming Dynasty established by Zhu Yuanzhang, he would probably have become the ninth thousand year old, second only to the emperor.

If you ask him to pour a glass of wine for himself, I have to say that most people would not be willing to do so.

However, the emperor had ordered this, and Eunuch Zhao came to pour the wine with a smile, but Prince Ruyang kept refusing. Eunuch Zhao could pour the wine, but he could not drink it, otherwise it would be a hassle to find it in the future.

The emperor then picked up the wine glass and said, "My brother, I was careless this time, which led to Tuotuo's rebellion. I am very uneasy, so I want to bring up this matter today to apologize to you, my brother."

King Ruyang said: "No, no, I respect Your Majesty."

The emperor said, "It's all the same, all the same."

He drank the wine in one gulp, and then continued, "My brother, the world is in turmoil right now. You don't know that the thieves had already broken into the palace yesterday. If I hadn't hidden in the ancestral tower, I would have died. After much thought, I think that the Borjigin clan has to defend this world."

"So, my brother, I really want to keep you in the capital for a few days, but everyone knows about your affairs in Jiangnan, and we can't let Jiangnan be in chaos!"

King Ruyang said, "Then I will go back to Jiangnan after I finish drinking."

The emperor said, "There is no need to be so anxious. We can leave tomorrow. We can leave tomorrow."

"My brother, my life is so hard. The emperor has to review memorials every day, but people in the world still don't understand me. Why are these rebels so evil? Why do they have to rebel against me?"

King Ruyang said: "It's all because of those corrupt officials that the people are living in poverty and have no food to eat, so the Demon Cult took advantage of the situation, but the people are still fine."

The emperor said: "What a bunch of rats! What a bunch of rats!"

The emperor didn't know if he was really drunk. He pointed at the civil and military officials below. They lowered their heads and thought to themselves, "We are such a big rat. Tell me about yourself, the emperor. Your annual expenditure is nearly 10 million taels of silver."

It is equivalent to one-tenth of the national treasury income, and we have only embezzled a small amount of money.

If you build any high-end building, it would be enough for our entire department to embezzle for several years.

Thinking of this, the officials did not care to explain the situation directly. They could only lower their heads, looking like ostriches.

After the emperor finished speaking, he looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "My brother, it is fortunate that the world has you princes in charge, otherwise, my world would be ruined by these rats."

"So, my brother, when you go back, you must appease the kings of Jiangnan for me and tell them that I have dealt with the bad guys and they can guard Daqian for me!"

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang looked at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will tell them properly when I return, so that they can guard the border with peace of mind and not have any other thoughts."

The emperor said, "Well, my brother is a loyal minister."

"It's a pity that I couldn't become a relative of my brother. By the way, my brother, have you found Princess Xiangning?"

Ah!
After hearing this, Prince Ruyang, who was already a little drunk, sat up straight. Although his face was calm, his heart was indeed in turmoil. What did the emperor mean by this?
It’s time to mention Yaya!

Prince Ruyang calmed down and said, "That thief is very arrogant. In addition, I was tricked by Tuotuo into entering Dadu. The turmoil in Jiangnan also cut off the news of that thief."

Snapped!
The emperor slammed the table and said, "You are so bold! You have robbed my queen. How can I let him go?"

At this point, Prince Ruyang said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. It is because my little daughter is unlucky that she does not have the Queen's order!"

After hearing this, the emperor looked at Prince Ruyang and said, "Alas, what a pity! If you really rescued the princess, don't blame her too much. I don't blame her!"

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang was stunned and looked at the emperor in surprise.

The emperor said, "I am not the kind of person who would force things. If you see that thief, tell him that I do not blame him. Not only do I not blame him, I will reward him. If he and the princess love each other, I am willing to grant them a marriage. If he can do something beneficial to the country, such as recovering several prefectures in Hubei, I will also confer a title on him."

"Brother Wang, do you think that what I think can move that thief?"

Prince Ruyang looked at the emperor's eyes that seemed to be drunk, and for some reason he had a feeling that the emperor was not drunk, and what he said was just to warn him. To put it bluntly, he might have known about Chen Jiusi's existence.

Although the emperor knew about it, he did not dare to argue easily. He could only ask, "Your Majesty, isn't this too lenient to the thief?"

After hearing this, the emperor said, "I'm not going to be too lenient. After all, young people are energetic and capable. As the saying goes, every generation has talented people, and each of them leads the trend for hundreds of years."

"My brother, you have to accept it. If that villain really changes his mind, my Daqian will have a powerful general, and you will have a good son-in-law. Is there such a good thing in the world? Think about it, think about it."

The emperor patted Prince Ruyang on the shoulder and raised his glass, saying, "Brother Prince, drink. Stay in the palace today. I can't hold my liquor. I'll go back and rest for a while."

After hearing this, Prince Ruyang looked at the emperor and said, "Yes."

After saying this, the emperor staggered away, leaving Prince Ruyang sitting there in a daze. Did the emperor know all this?

At this time, the emperor turned around the Yannian Hall and saw the Living Buddha sitting there. The emperor bowed to the Living Buddha and said, "Master."

The Living Buddha was the mentor of every emperor, except the first Emperor Taizu.

At this time, the Living Buddha looked at the emperor and asked, "Have you told Prince Ruyang?"

The emperor said, "I have said it all, but I don't understand why you want to recruit that thief!"

The emperor gritted his teeth and wished he could kill Chen Jiusi immediately. He had recruited him, granted him marriage, and conferred him a title. The emperor wished he could cut him into pieces, but the Living Buddha would not allow it.

The Living Buddha looked at him and said, "Killing people is easy, but using people is difficult. Chen Jiusi is a talent. If he is used well, he can extend the life of Daqian for decades."

"But, Master, he stole my queen!"

"Which is more important, a country or a woman?"

The emperor was silent for a long time after hearing this and then said, "Of course, simplicity is important."

"Then what else do you want to say? Speaking of the emperor's mind, if Chen Jiusi really abandons the dark and joins the light and works for Daqian, when he pacifies the world and stabilizes the country, you may be able to take revenge!"

The emperor smiled when he heard this and said, "It's time to kill the donkey."

The Living Buddha frowned and said, "This is the mentality of an emperor. Killing the donkey after it has done its work!"

After hearing this, the emperor asked, "What if Chen Jiusi disagrees to join the court?"

The Living Buddha said, "Did you convince Chahan?"

The emperor said: "I should be convinced."

The Living Buddha said: "That can also make them feel resentful, so that Jiangnan will not be united, which is also the best strategy."

The emperor understood what he heard, and looked at the Living Buddha and said, "Master, why are you making so much trouble? Why don't you just go to Jiangnan and kill all these rebels? Isn't that right?"

After hearing this, the Living Buddha looked towards the southwest Wudang Mountain and said, "I made an agreement with that man that if I don't leave Dadu, he won't leave Wudang Mountain either!"

(End of this chapter)